"Good judgement comes from experience and
experience comes from bad judgement." (Navajo saying.)

---

 

“Remembering the great ones.”

 

As the personal friends and guests in the house of Senator Bill and Ellen Armstrong, Ruthie and I met many VIPs from the world of Politics and economics in Washington DC.

 

I remember three things from the great Senate Chaplain Dick Halverson.

His love for Jesus.

His need for Prayer.

His personal testimony.

 

In the name of Jesus, he gave me a gift of the book by Oswald Chambers “My Utmost for his Highest” and told me, “Gerry please pray for me.”

He is also remembered for sharing his personal testimony: “I came to Washington DC with the intention to change the world, but people keep interrupting.” He said this as one who was embarrassed to have had his own agenda and not the agenda of Jesus. He said “We are all about people.”

 

The scale of preaching from the pulpit is lop-sided because greater emphasis is given to the vertical alienation of men from God where Evangelism is the message, but the horizontal alienation of man from his fellow man is somewhat neglected so that discipleship is almost non-existent except in theory.

 

If I was shrewd, I would insert something like a commercial at this time with the definition of discipleship from the Scripture, “Jesus chose twelve to be with them.” Therefore, discipleship is being with people and leading by example and not an empty war of words.

 

Oopps! Here we go again. I snuck in the definition of discipleship or mentoring.

Jesus came to reconcile us with the Father and with one another.

 

People are important! As the Rev. John Stott told me once when speaking about ministry, “People will use you, will chew you, drain you, and spit you out.”

 

And Mother Teresa of Calcutta used to say, “Love them anyway.”

Some politicians would say, “The more that I know men the more I love my dog.”

 

To these selfish cowards who do not want to take the risk of loving people, a pseudo intellectual has invented the wicked proverb, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” (Play it safe). The following quote is fitting for them: “The risk taker might not live long, but the cautious do not live at all.”

 

We hardly visit people anymore. Our conversations are not engaging and lack depth. We no longer listen and avoid answering the phone thanks to caller ID.

 

The love of pets over people is amazing.

If I were still a shrewd man, I would say a word about the love of people for pets.

 

“Could it be that we love cats and dogs because they depend on us and make us feel important while people fail to do that to us?” Yesterday, I was sitting on my front porch to breathe some fresh air. I saw a lady walking down the street and to my surprise she waved her hand to me. Then I recognized her as my next door Neighbor that I had not seen in more than two years. I waved happily and felt like a dog wagging its tail responding to a pat on the head.

 

Oppsss! I will better stop meddling and use the big guns from scripture.

“How could we say that we love God who we have not seen when we do not love our neighbor who we have seen.” Jesus said: “For whatever you did for one of these little ones of mine YOU DID IT FOR ME.”

 

What about answering that “stupid phone” (pardon my southern accent) and use your best greeting voice and think of Jesus at the other end the phone call.

 

What about taking the risk of getting closer to your favorite disgusting person.

 

Stop saying, “but you do not know how much I have been hurt by so and so”.

Yes, I do not know, but Jesus knows and says, “Love your enemies.”

But if your desire for justice gets the best of you, my suggestion is “LOVE THEM ANYWAY” because they can’t stand it. It will be like burning coals on their head.

 

Do it in Jesus name and for his sake. I know people to be difficult, but we are more difficult to Jesus than anyone is to us.

 

People will keep interrupting us as we seek to change the world, but we are all about people like Nicodemus who came to interrupt Jesus at night.

 

If you are of God, then you are Jesus to a dying world.

 

This was the busybody of Jesus on duty.

 

Gerry Gutierrez.

 

PS 1. Let us live up to what we have attained from the scripture. 

PS 2. The pictures are my memories from my many years in Washington DC.